Reading v QPR

[Hotchilidog]

This is why I feel if we did win our next four games, the bookies would probably actually start paying out on an Albion promotion.

Given that the next four games feature tough away games at Preston and Huddersfield, the MASSIVE at home and a potential banana skin game against Cardiff I'd totally agree with you. 12pts out of that lot would surely make the boldest possible statement.

I'd take anything over 7-8 though and remain unbeaten.

 

[BBassic]

One (absolutely mental) Facebook comment. Not a widely held opinion...

We have a small group of idiotic fans who have had it in for Stam from the start because of the way McDermott was sacked, and every time we lose they seem to pop up on social media.

Yeah, I figured it was either a joke or a nutjob. I just used it as a vehicle to deliver a reference to the pitch invasion

 

[Tooting Gull]

That's alright, I'm sure their fans would enjoy finishing 7th.

They did last time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i49-WpW1Ey0

Never the biggest fan of Burnley but that 'You're not going up' chant from the fans must be one of their finest moments.

 

[Foolg]

We will get stick from opposition fans no matter what we do, so I'm used to it. We play a strange system for the Championship which doesn't always work and I think the squad deserve praise to be 3rd after only having been playing it for 5 months.

Last night was bloody awful, but I maintain that you don't fluke your way to 3rd in January! I think it will be interesting to see whether we drop off or not if teams suss the system out in the 2nd round of games. It's up to Stam to deal with that.

QPR seemed quite happy for you to have the ball and p*ss around with it without creating anything, I think a lot of sides will have watched that and will have caught on if they hadn't already. It was a bit like us under Hyypia when we would often have all the ball and do sod all with it. However to get that squad into 3rd like you say is a cracking achievement, with so many new players and some of the squads you are up against.

I think Reading may struggle in the second half of the season if teams play like QPR did. When you look at the very top sides they all have a couple of players who can create something out of nothing, Gayle/Shelvey/Ritchie, Knockhaert/Murray/March, Ince/Will Hughes, Forestieri etc.

 

[Napper]

we really need Fulham , Norwich , Villa and dare I say it Preston to get properly attached to the 3rd to 6th teams now.

As good as Fulham , Norwich and Villa can be they are only a bad run off being out the play off picture and mind-sets change.

Keep them all up there challenging and they will all be taking points off each other most weeks.

Mean while we can just push on

 

[darkwolf666]

We will get stick from opposition fans no matter what we do, so I'm used to it. We play a strange system for the Championship which doesn't always work and I think the squad deserve praise to be 3rd after only having been playing it for 5 months.

Last night was bloody awful, but I maintain that you don't fluke your way to 3rd in January! I think it will be interesting to see whether we drop off or not if teams suss the system out in the 2nd round of games. It's up to Stam to deal with that.

Why do people insist in speaking in Americanisms, 2nd round of games, my arse!

 

[Napper]

Why do people insist in speaking in Americanisms, 2nd round of games, my arse!

because they are bellends

 

[Triggaaar]

We will get stick from opposition fans no matter what we do, so I'm used to it. We play a strange system for the Championship which doesn't always work and I think the squad deserve praise to be 3rd after only having been playing it for 5 months.

Regardless of how long you've been playing it, 3rd is impressive for any team not spending a shed load.

So how would you describe the strange system you play?

 

[Guinness Boy]

Blimey. 44 pages on someone else's game.

 

[Simster]

I will never ever tire of watching that. Comedy gold.

This. It will never ever get boring.

And nor will the footage of the Reading gimps celebrating in the crowd what they thought was a 2-2 equaliser for Forest, when it was actually a leveller for Birmingham at Bolton.

 

[FatSuperman]

Blimey. 44 pages on someone else's game.

It's been a long 10 day wait for Championship action

 

[Triggaaar]

He is the main reason that team is in third in the first place, and he was back-tracking all over the place trying to lower Reading fans' expectations - even claiming they have the lowest wage bill in the division, which I doubt (Burton? Rotherham?).

If they're anywhere near the lowest, then he's got a point and he's worked miracles.

He was also saying it was impossible to compete from where they came from the previous season, but that is what Brighton did last season.

I think it's fair to say we under performed that season, having been in the playoffs the 2 seasons preceding that.

I really rate Stam, and Reading are a good team but the ownership/takeover mess has come at very bad time in terms of recruitment and I think they will be lucky to finish in the top six with powerful teams able to spend massing up behind.

They'd do well to finish top 6 regardless of the change of ownership and transfer window. Although it's an exaggeration to say that all their success has been down to luck, I also think it's wrong to pretend they haven't relied on a bit of luck.

 

[Triggaaar]

It's been a long 10 day wait for Championship action

And it was an important game considering we thought Reading were our biggest rival for a top two place (along with Newcastle).

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showt...ggest-rival-for-second-spot-part-2&highlight=

 

[theroyal]

Regardless of how long you've been playing it, 3rd is impressive for any team not spending a shed load.

So how would you describe the strange system you play?

4-3-3 without the ball and 3-5-2 with it (DM dropping into centre back and full backs pushing up)

Playing out from the back, a lot of passing, and waiting for gaps to open up and grabbing a goal. As teams tire more gaps open up and therefore we have scored a lot of late goals. We often win by the odd goal and we're exceptionally good at maintaining a lead when we get our noses in front. It's probably why most teams think we're lucky because we don't really look like a dangerous team or have any players like your Knockaert's and your Gayle's.

It's not my favourite way of playing (I am a 4-4-2 man) and it's "strange" in that it's not a traditional Championship way of playing and it's often fairly boring to watch if it's not working well. But if it's getting results then I'm happy.

 

[severnside gull]

Thought Reading were very poor tbh but in fairness they were missing key players which made their defence a mess.
Kermogant, like Murray, is a great focus up front.
QPR were a prime example of what a bit of confidence can do for you in a league where most sides are separated by the extra ability of just one or two players. How lazy was Sylla though? Skillful but a walking offside machine.

 

[CHAPPERS]

How lazy was Sylla though? Skillful but a walking offside machine.

And looked extremely upset to be substituted.

 

[Guinness Boy]

And it was an important game considering we thought Reading were our biggest rival for a top two place (along with Newcastle).

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showt...ggest-rival-for-second-spot-part-2&highlight=

I think we should re-run that poll at the end of the transfer window. Lots of people rowing back based on one game.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

4-3-3 without the ball and 3-5-2 with it (DM dropping into centre back and full backs pushing up)

Playing out from the back, a lot of passing, and waiting for gaps to open up and grabbing a goal. As teams tire more gaps open up and therefore we have scored a lot of late goals. We often win by the odd goal and we're exceptionally good at maintaining a lead when we get our noses in front. It's probably why most teams think we're lucky because we don't really look like a dangerous team or have any players like your Knockaert's and your Gayle's.

It's not my favourite way of playing (I am a 4-4-2 man) and it's "strange" in that it's not a traditional Championship way of playing and it's often fairly boring to watch if it's not working well. But if it's getting results then I'm happy.

Taking away formation change during the game, which I thought QPR were doing, not you lot, you could have been mirroring the Gus Poyet days here, so nothing strange to us.

Everything asides, including appaling home support, I hope Reading get a play off spot. Not because I really care much about them, but because, like us, they are doing it on a small budget and it kicks the teeth out of the money driven sides.

 

[BBassic]

Blimey. 44 pages on someone else's game.

It's only 11 pages if you increase the number of posts per page

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Experimental 3-6-1 (the best source of game data analysis i know) have been saying that Reading have been over performing for weeks. Their writer has even been getting twitchy because they keep scraping results despite every stat saying they shouldn't. Let's see what happens to Reading now.

On the other hand some people describe us as "winning despite not playing well". I'm not sure that's true. We're not always playing as well as we can (not the same as playing poorly), but we're matching the opposition at worst, then stepping up when needed. And again, this is consistent with how good our stats are and the predictions on Experimental 3-6-1.

40 years as about Albion fan means I'm not counting chickens, but I do know we have a damn good team and grounded manager who have reacted positively to the crushing disappointment of last season. Very excited, enjoying the ride and rather proud of the character shown by the club I love.

Every stats blog I've read has Reading down as 'overperforming' largely based on the shots conceded and converted model. They also have a particularly nasty set of away fixtures coming up which should see them go South down the table. That said, I was reading a bunch of Wigan fans saying how unimpressive we were off the back of 1 dire game up there so I realise it is dangerous to make up your mind on one small sample but all evidence really does point to them disappearing down the table - As an example the only team to concede more shots on target on average per game is Rotherham. No surprise that ours is the lowest (2.92 against Readings 5.33)

As for us, we top stats for lowest shots conceded, points in calendar year 2016 across all 4 divisions, cleans sheets & number of defeats amongst others. We could only really be marginally better on chances on target. I likewise hate counting chickens but it really does point to being our year barring a catastrophic injury crisis, squad meltdown or plain bottling it